El 19 de febrero se celebra el año nuevo chino. Este año comienza el año de la cabra... ¿sabéis que significa?
What Is Chinese New Year?
Chinese New Year is the most important of the Chinese holidays, and
is a time of feasting with the family, celebration, fireworks and
gift-giving. It is a 15-day holiday, beginning on the first day of a new
moon and ending with the full moon on the day of the Lantern Festival.
The Chinese calendar is based on the lunar year, so the date of
Chinese New Year changes every year. The Chinese calendar follows a
12-year pattern with each year named after an animal. There are various
stories which explain this. The simplest is that Buddha (or the Jade
Emperor) invited all of the animals to join him for a New Year
celebration, but only 12 animals turned up. To reward the animals that
did come, Buddha named a year after each of them in the order that they
arrived, starting with the Rat, followed by the Ox, Tiger, Rabbit,
Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat (or Sheep), Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig.
Depending on the year you are born, you are believed to have the various character traits of that year's animal. If your birthday lies between 1st February 2003 - 21st January 2004, you were born in the Year of the Goat.
Source: http://www.activityvillage.co.uk
Este vídeo cuenta la historia de como comenzó la tradición de celebrar el año nuevo chino:
